Self-ligating orthodontic bracket and devices for deploying same

ABSTRACT

An orthodontic bracket for coupling an archwire with a tooth includes a bracket body having an archwire slot adapted to receive the archwire therein and a movable member engaged with the bracket body and movable between an opened position and a closed position. A securing mechanism is configured to secure the movable member in at least the closed position and includes a projecting portion and a receiving portion. The projecting portion may include a generally elongate pin capable of flexing relative to a central axis thereof to secure the movable member in at least the closed position. An orthodontic assembly includes an orthodontic bracket and an alignment device for positioning the bracket on the tooth.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED CASES

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent ApplicationSer. No. 60/946,842 filed Jun. 28, 2007; and U.S. Provisional PatentApplication Ser. No. 61/022,570 filed Jan. 22, 2008, the disclosures ofeach being incorporated by reference herein in their entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The invention relates generally to orthodontic brackets and, moreparticularly, to self-ligating orthodontic brackets having movableclosure members such as slides or latches and related tools fordeploying the same.

BACKGROUND

Orthodontic brackets represent a principal component of all correctiveorthodontic treatments devoted to improving a patient's occlusion. Inconventional orthodontic treatments, an orthodontist or an assistantaffixes brackets to the patient's teeth and engages an archwire into aslot of each bracket. The archwire applies corrective forces that coercethe teeth to move into correct positions. Traditional ligatures, such assmall elastomeric O-rings or fine metal wires, are employed to retainthe archwire within each bracket slot. Due to difficulties encounteredin applying an individual ligature to each bracket, self-ligatingorthodontic brackets have been developed that eliminate the need forligatures by relying on a movable portion or member, such as a latch orslide, for retaining the archwire within the bracket slot.

While self-ligating brackets have been generally successful,manufacturers of such brackets continually strive to improve theaesthetics associated with self-ligating brackets, the use andfunctionality of self-ligating brackets, and the costs andmanufacturability of self-ligating brackets.

SUMMARY

To these ends, an orthodontic bracket for coupling an archwire with atooth includes a bracket body configured to be mounted to the tooth andhaving an archwire slot adapted to receive the archwire therein. Amovable member is engaged with the bracket body and movable relativethereto between an opened position in which the archwire is insertableinto the archwire slot, and a closed position in which the movablemember retains the archwire in the archwire slot. A securing mechanismis configured to secure the movable member in at least the closedposition and includes a projecting portion in one of the bracket body ormovable member, and a receiving portion in the other of the bracket bodyor movable member. The projecting portion may include a generallyelongate pin capable of flexing relative to a central axis thereof andcooperating with the receiving portion to secure the movable member inat least the closed position.

In one embodiment, the elongate pin is flexible in a generally radialdirection relative to the central axis. By way of example, the elongatepin may be tubular and/or may include a slot that extends for at least aportion of a length of the pin so as to facilitate a radial expansionand contraction of the pin. In another embodiment, the elongate pin maybe solid and may be flexible in a generally lateral direction relativeto the central axis. In one embodiment, the projecting portion may beassociated with the bracket body and the receiving portion associatedwith the movable member, which may be, for example, a ligating slide.

In one embodiment, the receiving portion includes a retaining slotadapted to receive the projecting member, such as the elongate pin. Theretaining slot may include a first enlarged portion at a first end ofthe retaining slot having a first cross dimension. A straight segmentportion is in communication with the first enlarged portion and includesa second cross dimension less than the first cross dimension to defineat least one protrusion at the transition therebetween. The at least oneprotrusion provides resistance to movement of the movable member awayfrom the closed position. The retaining slot may further include asecond enlarged portion at a second end thereof. The second enlargedportion is in communication with the straight segment portion and has athird cross dimension that is larger than the second cross dimension ofthe straight segment portion to define at least one protrusion at thetransition therebetween. This at least one protrusion providesresistance to movement of the movable member away from the openedposition. The straight segment portion may be tapered so as to vary thesliding force for moving the movable member between the opened andclosed positions. In another embodiment, the retaining slot may includeat least one offset portion at an end thereof defining a firstcenterline, and a straight segment portion communicating with the offsetportion and defining a second centerline spaced from the firstcenterline to define at least one protrusion at the transitiontherebetween.

In various embodiments, the movable member may include a pushing elementadjacent an end thereof for guiding the archwire into the archwire slotas the movable member is moved toward the closed position. The pushingelement may include a chamfer formed adjacent a leading edge of themovable member. The chamfer may be uniform across the width of themovable member or may be non-uniform, such as being adjacent the sideedges of the movable member and away from its central region.Additionally, in some embodiments, the projecting portion may beoriented so as to be substantially perpendicular to the archwire slot ofthe bracket. In other embodiments, however, the projecting portion maybe oriented so as to be substantially parallel to the archwire slot.Furthermore, in addition to securing the movable member in at least theclosed position (and possibly the opened position), the securingmechanism may be further configured to prevent the movable member fromdisengaging the bracket body. For example, the elongate pin may engage afirst end of the retaining slot when the movable member is in the openedposition to thereby prevent the movable member from disengaging thebracket body.

In another embodiment, an orthodontic bracket for coupling an archwirewith a tooth includes a bracket body configured to be mounted to thetooth and having an archwire slot adapted to receive the archwiretherein. A movable member is engaged with the bracket body and movablerelative thereto between an opened position and a closed position. Asecuring mechanism is configured to secure the movable member in atleast the closed position and includes a projecting portion in one ofthe bracket body or movable member and a receiving portion in the otherof the bracket body or movable member. At least a portion of theprojecting portion is capable of moving between an expanded state and acontracted state, the projecting portion defining a first crossdimension in the expanded state and a second cross dimension less thanthe first cross dimension in the contracted state.

In still another embodiment, an orthodontic bracket for coupling anarchwire with a tooth includes a bracket body configured to be mountedto the tooth and having an archwire slot for receiving the archwiretherein. The bracket body further includes a confronting side adapted toconfront teeth on an opposing jaw when mounted to the tooth. Theconfronting side includes a contoured shape so as to prevent occlusalinterference with teeth on the opposing jaw. A cutout is formed in theconfronting side of the bracket body and adapted to receive a connectingmember for coupling the bracket to orthodontic devices on adjacentteeth. The cutout includes at least one bounding surface that limitsmovement of the connecting member in a direction generally perpendicularto the archwire slot and away from the tooth on which the bracket ismounted. The bracket may be a molar bracket and/or a self-ligatingbracket and lack conventional tie wings.

In yet another embodiment, an orthodontic bracket for coupling anarchwire with a tooth includes a bracket body configured to be mountedto a tooth and having an archwire slot for receiving the archwiretherein. A movable member is engaged with the bracket body and movablerelative thereto between an opened position and a closed position. Thebracket includes a smooth generally arcuate outer surface adapted toconfront and engage tissue in the oral cavity (e.g., cheek tissue). Inone embodiment, the movable member includes an outer contoured portionthat forms a substantial portion of the arcuate surface of the bracket.The arcuate surface may be characterized by one or more relatively largeradii of curvature in, for example, a gingival-occlusal direction and/ora mesial-distal direction.

In still another embodiment, an orthodontic bracket includes a bracketbody configured to be mounted to a tooth and having an archwire slotadapted to receive an archwire therein. A movable member is engaged withthe bracket body and movable relative thereto between an opened positionand a closed position. A first slot is formed in the bracket body andadapted to receive a first orthodontic device. The first slot may extendin a direction generally parallel to the archwire slot. The bracket bodymay further include a second slot adapted to receive a secondorthodontic device, the second slot extending in a direction generallyperpendicular to the archwire slot. In one embodiment, the first andsecond slots do not intersect one another.

A method for moving a tooth to effect orthodontic treatment using anorthodontic bracket, wherein the orthodontic bracket includes a bracketbody configured to be mounted to a tooth, an archwire slot adapted toreceive an archwire therein, and a slot formed in the bracket body andextending in a direction generally parallel to the archwire slot,includes mounting the bracket to a tooth and coupling a temporaryattachment device to the bracket using the slot. In one embodiment, thetooth may be coupled to a jaw bone of a patient and the method mayfurther include anchoring a temporary anchoring device to the jaw boneto establish a fixed spacial point, and coupling the temporary anchoringdevice to the bracket using the slot so as to move the tooth relative tothe fixed spacial point.

In yet a further embodiment, an orthodontic assembly includes anorthodontic bracket for coupling an archwire to a tooth, the bracketincluding an archwire slot for receiving the archwire therein and abonding surface adapted to be coupled to the tooth, and alignment devicereleasably coupled to the orthodontic bracket and configured fordeploying the orthodontic bracket onto the tooth. The alignment deviceincludes a first portion adapted to releasably coupled to theorthodontic bracket and a second portion offset from the first portionand adapted to be adjacent a surface of the tooth when the bondingsurface of the bracket is positioned on the surface of the tooth. Thesecond portion may include a plurality of markers to facilitatepositioning of the bracket on the tooth, such as by using a fixedreference point on the tooth. The coupled orthodontic bracket andalignment device may be pre-packaged for delivery to a doctor's office.In this way, the problems associated with field assembly may be avoided.Additionally, the alignment device may be disposable.

In one embodiment, the alignment device includes a first couplingfeature and the orthodontic bracket includes a second coupling featurethat cooperates with the first coupling feature to restrict movement ofthe orthodontic bracket relative to the alignment device in a directiongenerally parallel to the archwire slot. For example, the first couplingfeature may include a projecting tab on the alignment device and thesecond coupling feature may include a recess in the bracket body. Therecess may be, for example, a tool receptacle used for opening aself-ligating orthodontic bracket with an opening tool.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute apart of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and,together with a general description of the invention given above, andthe detailed description given below, serve to explain the invention.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a self-ligating orthodontic bracket inaccordance with one embodiment of the invention, the ligating slideshown in the opened position;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the self-ligating orthodontic bracketshown in FIG. 1 with the ligating slide shown in the closed position;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the self-ligating orthodontic bracketshown in FIG. 1 with the ligating slide removed from the bracket body;

FIG. 4A is a front perspective view of the ligating slide shown in FIG.1;

FIG. 4B is a rear perspective view of the ligating slide shown in FIG.1;

FIG. 5 is a rear perspective view of a ligating slide in accordance withanother embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a self-ligating orthodontic bracket inaccordance with another embodiment of the invention with the ligatingslide removed from the bracket body;

FIG. 7 is a rear perspective view of a ligating slide used with theorthodontic bracket shown in FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a spring bar in accordance with oneembodiment of the invention;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a self-ligating orthodontic bracket inaccordance with another embodiment of the invention utilizing the springbar of FIG. 8 and with the ligating slide removed from the bracket body;

FIG. 10 is a partial rear perspective view of a ligating slide inaccordance with one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 11 is a side elevation view of the self-ligating orthodonticbracket shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 12 is a rear elevation view of the self-ligating orthodonticbracket shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the self-ligating orthodontic bracketshown in FIG. 1 engaged with a tool for opening the ligating slide;

FIG. 14 is a perspective view of a self-ligating orthodontic bracket inaccordance with another embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 15 is a side elevation view of the self-ligating orthodonticbracket shown in FIG. 14;

FIG. 16 is a perspective view of a self-ligating orthodontic bracket inaccordance with another embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 17 is a bottom elevation view of the self-ligating orthodonticbracket shown in FIG. 16;

FIG. 18 is a perspective view of the self-ligating orthodontic bracketshown in FIG. 16 with the ligating slide removed from the bracket body;

FIG. 19 is a rear perspective view of the ligating slide shown in FIG.16;

FIG. 20 is a side elevation view of the self-ligating orthodonticbracket shown in FIG. 16;

FIG. 21 is a perspective view of a self-ligating orthodontic bracket inaccordance with another embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 22 is a side elevation view of an orthodontic assembly including aself-ligating bracket and an alignment device in accordance with anembodiment of the invention;

FIG. 23 is a perspective view of the alignment device shown in FIG. 22;

FIG. 24 is a perspective view of a self-ligating orthodontic bracket inaccordance with another embodiment of the invention with the ligatingslide removed from the bracket body;

FIG. 25 is a perspective view of a ligating slide used with theorthodontic bracket shown in FIG. 24;

FIG. 26 is a perspective view of a self-ligating orthodontic bracket inaccordance with another embodiment of the invention with the ligatingslide removed from the bracket body; and

FIG. 27 is a perspective view of a ligating slide used with theorthodontic bracket shown in FIG. 26.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Although the invention will be described in connection with certainembodiments, the invention is not limited to practice in any onespecific type of self-ligating orthodontic bracket. The description ofthe embodiments of the invention is intended to cover all alternatives,modifications, and equivalent arrangements as may be included within thespirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. Inparticular, those skilled in the art will recognize that the componentsof the embodiments of the invention described herein could be arrangedin multiple different ways.

Referring now to the drawings, and to FIGS. 1 and 2 in particular, anorthodontic bracket 10 includes a bracket body 12 and a movable closuremember coupled to the bracket body 12. In one embodiment, the movableclosure member may include a ligating slide 14 slidably coupled with thebracket body 12. The bracket body 12 includes an archwire slot 16 formedtherein adapted to receive an archwire 18 (shown in phantom) forapplying corrective forces to the teeth. The ligating slide 14 ismovable between an opened position (FIG. 1) in which the archwire 18 isinsertable into the archwire slot 16 and a closed position (FIG. 2) inwhich the archwire 18 is retained within the archwire slot 16. Thebracket body 12 and ligating slide 14 collectively form an orthodonticbracket 10 for use in corrective orthodontic treatments. Moreover, whilethe movable closure member is described herein as a ligating slide, theinvention is not so limited as the movable closure member may includeother movable structures (e.g., latch, spring clip, door, etc.) that arecapable of moving between an opened and closed position.

The orthodontic bracket 10, unless otherwise indicated, is describedherein using a reference frame attached to a labial surface of a toothon the lower jaw. Consequently, as used herein, terms such as labial,lingual, mesial, distal, occlusal, and gingival used to describe bracket10 are relative to the chosen reference frame. The embodiments of theinvention, however, are not limited to the chosen reference frame anddescriptive terms, as the orthodontic bracket 10 may be used on otherteeth and in other orientations within the oral cavity. For example, thebracket 10 may also be coupled to the lingual surface of the tooth andbe within the scope of the invention. Those of ordinary skill in the artwill recognize that the descriptive terms used herein may not directlyapply when there is a change in reference frame. Nevertheless,embodiments of the invention are intended to be independent of locationand orientation within the oral cavity and the relative terms used todescribe embodiments of the orthodontic bracket are to merely provide aclear description of the embodiments in the drawings. As such, therelative terms labial, lingual, mesial, distal, occlusal, and gingivalare in no way limiting the invention to a particular location ororientation.

When mounted to the labial surface of a tooth carried on the patient'slower jaw, the bracket body 12 has a lingual side 20, an occlusal side22, a gingival side 24, a mesial side, 26, a distal side 28 and a labialside 30. The lingual side 20 of the bracket body 12 is configured to besecured to the tooth in any conventional manner, such as for example, byan appropriate orthodontic cement or adhesive or by a band around anadjacent tooth. The lingual side 20 may further be provided with a pad32 defining a bonding base that is secured to the surface of the tooth(FIG. 12). The pad 32 may be coupled to the bracket body 12 as aseparate piece or element, or alternatively, the pad 32 may beintegrally formed with the bracket body 12. A coupling element in theform of, for example, an orthodontic hook having a shaft 33 a andbulbous end 33 b may extend from the bracket body 12 and facilitatecoupling of the bracket body 12 with other orthodontic elements such asbands or other hooks on adjacent teeth. The bracket body 12 includes abase surface 34 and a pair of opposed slot surfaces 36, 38 projectinglabially from the base surface 34 that collectively define the archwireslot 16 extending in a mesial-distal direction from mesial side 26 todistal side 28. The slot surfaces 36, 38 and base surface 34 aresubstantially encapsulated or embedded within the material of thebracket body 12. The archwire slot 16 of the bracket body 12 may bedesigned to receive the orthodontic archwire 18 in any suitable manner.

As shown in FIG. 3, the bracket body 12 further includes a generallyplanar support surface 40 extending in a generally gingival-occlusaldirection from slot surface 38. A pair of opposed guides 42, 44 arecarried by support surface 40 and are positioned on respective mesialand distal sides 26, 28 of bracket body 12. The guides 42, 44 aregenerally L-shaped and each includes a first leg projecting from supportsurface 40 generally in the labial direction. Guide 42 has a second legprojecting in the distal direction while guide 44 has a second legprojecting in the mesial direction so that collectively, guides 42, 44partially overlie support surface 40 in a spaced relation. Planarsupport surface 40 and guides 42, 44 collectively define a slideengagement track 46 for supporting and guiding ligating slide 14 withinbracket body 12.

As shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, the ligating slide 14 is a generally planarstructure comprising a mesial portion 48, a distal portion 50, and acentral portion 52 intermediate the mesial and distal portions 48, 50.Guides 42, 44 overlie mesial and distal portions 48, 50, respectively,and central portion 52 projects in the labial direction such that thelabial side of central portion 52 is substantially flush with the labialside of guides 42, 44 (FIG. 2). Such a configuration essentially definesgingival-occlusal directed tracks or grooves 54, 56 in the labial sideof the ligating slide 14 along which guides 42, 44 move as the ligatingslide 14 is moved between the opened and closed positions. In oneembodiment, the gingival ends 58 of grooves 54, 56 may include stopportions 60 extending in the labial direction and closing off grooves54, 56. The stop portions 60 are adapted to be adjacent or even abut agingival end 62 of the guides 42, 44 (FIG. 3) when the ligating slide 14is in the closed position (FIG. 2).

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4B, the orthodontic bracket 10 includes asecuring mechanism that secures the ligating slide 14 in at least theclosed position. To this end, the securing mechanism includes aprojecting portion in one of the bracket body 12 or ligating slide 14and a receiving portion in the other of the bracket body 12 or ligatingslide 14 that cooperate to keep the ligating slide 14 in at least theclosed position, and may further prevent the ligating slide 14 fromdetaching from the bracket body 12. In one exemplary embodiment, thesecuring mechanism includes a generally elongated cylindrical, tubularspring pin 66 (FIG. 3) coupled to the bracket body 12 and a retainingslot 68 (FIG. 4B) formed in the ligating slide 14. Although thisembodiment is described with the spring pin 66 associated with thebracket body 12 and the retaining slot 68 associated with the ligatingslide 14, those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that theinvention is not so limited. For example, although not shown, the springpin 66 may be coupled to the ligating slide 14 and the retaining slot 68may be formed in the bracket body 12.

As shown in FIG. 3, the spring pin 66 extends along a central axis 69and includes a first portion (not shown) received within a bore 70formed in support surface 40 and a second portion that projectstherefrom in a direction generally perpendicular to archwire slot 16,such as, for example, in a generally labial direction (e.g., the springpin 66 projects generally in a labial-lingual direction). The spring pin66 includes a cutout or slit 72, the purpose of which is describedbelow, formed in the sidewall thereof and extends along at least aportion of the length of the spring pin 66. For example, the slit 72 mayextend for the full length of the spring pin 66. Alternatively, the slit72 may extend for at least the length of the second portion of thespring pin 66 which projects from support surface 40. Other slitconfigurations may also be possible.

The spring pin 66 may be formed, for example, through a rolling processso as to define the slit 72, or alternatively, may be formed by cuttinga tubular member to form slit 72. Additionally, the spring pin 66 may beformed from materials including stainless steel, titanium alloys,NiTi-type superelastic materials, or other suitable materials. Duringassembly, the spring pin 66 may be press fit or slip fit into bore 70,and/or may be secured thereto to prevent relative movement therebetweenusing various processes including staking, tack welding, laser welding,adhesives, or other suitable methods.

As shown in FIG. 4B, the retaining slot 68 may be formed in the lingualside 74 of the ligating slide 14 and extends generally in thegingival-occlusal direction due to the general gingival-occlusalmovement of ligating slide 14. The retaining slot 68 may be formed so asto extend completely through the ligating slide 14 in the labial-lingualdirection (not shown), or formed so as to extend only partially throughthe slide 14, and therefore not be visible from the labial side 76 ofthe slide 14 (i.e., a blind slot), as shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B. Such ablind slot configuration reduces the sites on the labial side 30 of thebracket 10 where food or other material from the oral cavity couldcollect, thereby improving overall hygiene. In one embodiment, theretaining slot 68 has a first enlarged portion 78 at the gingival end 79of the slot 68 in communication with a straight segment portion 80having a closed occlusal end 82. The enlarged portion 78 may begenerally circular, as shown, or have other suitable shapes. The crossdimension of the enlarged portion 78 is larger than the cross dimensionof the straight segment portion 80 to define a pair of opposedprotrusions 88 at the transition therebetween.

When the ligating slide 14 is coupled to the bracket body 12, the springpin 66 is received in retaining slot 68, which moves relative to thespring pin 66 as the ligating slide 14 is moved between the opened andclosed positions. In one aspect of the invention, the springpin/retaining slot securing mechanism provides for securing the ligatingslide 14 in at least the closed position. To this end, the slit 72 inthe spring pin 66 allows at least the slit portion to be generallyradially flexed or elastically deformed relative to its central axis 69.As used herein, radially flexed includes not only uniform radialchanges, but also includes non-uniform or partial radial changes, suchas that which occurs during squeezing of a resilient C clip. In otherwords, at least a portion of spring pin 66 has a first effectivediameter or radius of curvature (such as in an unbiased state) but iscapable of being flexed, such as by squeezing the spring pin 66, so asto have a second effective diameter or radius of curvature smaller thanthe first effective diameter or radius of curvature. Thus, the springpin 66 is capable of radially expanding and contracting depending on theforce being imposed thereon. While the slit 72 in spring pin 66 allowsfor radial contraction/expansion, such movement may be achieved in otherways. For example, the spring pin may be a thin-walled tubular memberwithout such a slit yet still be capable of radialcontraction/expansion. Those of ordinary skill in the art may recognizeadditional configurations that provide such radial contraction andexpansion of spring pin 66.

In operation, when the ligating slide 14 is in the closed position (FIG.2), the spring pin 66 is disposed in the enlarged portion 78 ofretaining slot 68 and is permitted to radially expand such that thespring pin 66 engages the wall of circular portion 78. Those of ordinaryskill in the art will recognize that the spring pin 66 does not have toengage the wall of circular portion 78, but must at least have a crossdimension (e.g., diameter) when radially expanded that is larger thanthe cross dimension of the straight segment portion 80. When so disposedin the circular portion 78, the protrusions 88 provide a threshold levelof resistance to any movement of the ligating slide 14 away from theclosed position and toward the opened position. However, if asufficiently large opening force is applied to the ligating slide 14 in,for example, the gingival direction, the interaction between theretaining slot 68 and spring pin 66 causes the pin 66 to radiallycontract (due to the squeezing imposed by the slot 68) so that thespring pin 66 moves past the protrusions 88 and into the straightsegment portion 80 of the retaining slot 68.

Once positioned in the straight segment portion 80, the spring pin 66bears against the walls thereof such that a threshold sliding force,which may be less than, and perhaps significantly less than the openingforce, must be imposed to overcome the drag and move the ligating slide14 relative to the bracket body 12 as spring pin 66 traverses straightsegment portion 80. Thus, once opened, the ligating slide 14 does notjust freely slide or drop to the fully opened position, but must bepurposefully moved toward the opened position. If the ligating slide 14is only partially opened, the slide 14 may be configured to maintain itsposition relative to the bracket body 12 (due to the friction forces)until the threshold sliding force is imposed to continue moving theslide 14 toward the opened position. Such a configuration reduces thelikelihood of unintentionally closing the slide during, for example, anorthodontic treatment. When the ligating slide 14 is moved toward theclosed position, the spring pin 66 recovers or snaps back to itsradially expanded position as the spring pin 66 enters the enlargedportion 78 to once again secure the ligating slide 14 in the closedposition.

The amount of force required to overcome the threshold sliding force asthe spring pin 66 moves relative to the straight segment portion 80 mayvary during movement between the opened and closed positions of ligatingslide 14. In one embodiment, for example, the straight segment portion80 may be slightly tapered so that the cross dimension of straightsegment portion 80 increases in the direction of the occlusal end 82 ofthe retaining slot 68. Such a configuration is shown in phantom in FIG.4B. Accordingly, the sliding force required for relative movementbetween the spring pin 66 and the retaining slot 68 of ligating slide 14decreases as the ligating slide 14 is moved toward the opened positionand increases as the ligating slide 14 is moved toward the closedposition. In addition to, or instead of, the tapered feature describedabove, a variable sliding force may be achieved by varying the depth ofthe retaining slot 68 in the ligating slide 14 so as to interact withthe terminating end of spring pin 66 (not shown). For example, the depthof retaining slot 68 may be smaller adjacent the gingival end 79 ascompared to the depth of the retaining slot 68 adjacent the occlusal end82. Due to the interaction between the terminating end of the spring pin66 and the bottom or base surface of retaining slot 68, the slidingforce required for relative movement between the spring pin 66 and theretaining slot 68 decreases as the ligating slide 14 is moved toward theopened position and increases as the ligating slide 14 is moved towardthe closed position. The above-described methods for varying the slidingforce are exemplary and those of ordinary skill in the art may recognizeother ways to vary the sliding force of the ligating slide 14 as theslide is moved between the opened and closed positions.

The retaining slot 68 shown in FIG. 4B, and as described above, includesenlarged portion 78 at the gingival end 79 of retaining slot 68 thatoperates to secure the ligating slide 14 in the closed position. In thatembodiment, the occlusal end 82 of the retaining slot 68 does notinclude such an enlarged portion, but instead terminates in a closed endto straight segment portion 80. In an alternative embodiment, however,and as shown in FIG. 5, in which like reference numerals refer to likefeatures in FIG. 4B, ligating slide 14 a may include a retaining slot 68a that also includes an enlarged portion 90 (similar to enlarged portion78) at the occlusal end 82 of retaining slot 68 a. Similar to the above,the enlarged portion 90 defines protrusions 92 at the transition betweenstraight segment portion 80 and enlarged portion 90. In this way, theligating slide 14 a may be secured in both the closed and openedpositions so as to require a sufficiently high opening or closing forceto initiate movement of the ligating slide 14 a away from the closed oropened positions, respectively.

Similar to that described above, when the ligating slide 14 a is in theclosed position, the spring pin 66 is disposed in the enlarged portion78 and a sufficiently large opening force must be applied to theligating slide 14 a in the gingival direction to contract spring pin 66and allow the pin 66 to move past the protrusions 88 and into thestraight segment portion 80. As the ligating slide 14 a is moved furthertoward the opened position, the spring pin 66 snaps back to its radiallyexpanded position as the spring pin 66 enters the enlarged portion 90 atthe occlusal end 82 of the retaining slot 68 a. When so disposed inenlarged circular portion 90, the protrusions 92 provide a thresholdlevel of resistance to any movement of the ligating slide 14 a away fromthe opened position and toward the closed position. Only after asufficiently large closing force is applied to the ligating slide 14 ain, for example, the occlusal direction, will the spring pin 66 radiallycontract so that spring pin 66 moves past the protrusions 92 and intothe straight segment portion 80 of the retaining slot 68 a. Such aconfiguration may further prevent or reduce the likelihood ofinadvertently closing the ligating slide 14 a during treatment, such aswhen changing the archwires.

In addition to sufficiently securing the ligating slide 14 in at leastthe closed position (and possibly in the opened and closed position),the spring pin/retaining slot securing mechanism may also prevent orreduce accidental or unintentional detachment of the ligating slide 14from the bracket body 12 during use, such as when the ligating slide 14is in the opened position. To this end, the length of the retaining slot68 may limit the gingival-occlusal travel of ligating slide 14 relativeto the bracket body 12. For example, the spring pin 66 may abut theocclusal end 82 of the retaining slot 68 when the ligating slide 14 isin the fully opened position. Because the occlusal end 82 closes theretaining slot 68, further movement of the ligating slide 14 in agingival direction relative to bracket body 12 is prohibited, andligating slide 14 cannot become separated or detached from bracket body12.

Similarly, in the fully closed position of the ligating slide 14, thespring pin 66 is positioned in the enlarged portion 78 at the gingivalend 79 of the retaining slot 68, which may prohibit further movement ofthe ligating slide 14 in the occlusal direction relative to the bracketbody 12. The orthodontic bracket 10 may include other features that, inlieu of or in addition to, the spring pin/retaining slot securingmechanism prevents movement of the ligating slide 14 in the occlusaldirection relative to the bracket body 12. Accordingly, the securingmechanism may operate for the dual function of securing the ligatingslide 14 in the closed position (and possibly the opened position aswell) and for retaining the ligating slide 14 with the bracket body 12.Such a dual-functioning securing mechanism may provide certain benefitsnot heretofore observed in brackets that utilize separate mechanisms foreach of these functions.

FIGS. 6 and 7, in which like reference numerals refer to like featuresin FIGS. 1-4, illustrate an alternative securing mechanism that securesthe ligating slide 14 b in at least the closed position. In thisembodiment, the securing mechanism includes a solid generally elongatedcylindrical retaining pin 94 coupled to the bracket body 12 and aretaining slot 96 formed in the ligating slide 14 b. Although thisembodiment is described with the retaining pin 94 associated with thebracket body 12 and the retaining slot 96 associated with the ligatingslide 14 b, those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that theinvention is not so limited. For example, although not shown, theretaining pin 94 may be coupled to the ligating slide 14 b and theretaining slot 96 formed in the bracket body 12.

As shown in FIG. 6, the retaining pin 94 extends along a central axis 97and includes a first portion (not shown) received within the bore 70formed in support surface 40 and a second portion that projectstherefrom in a generally labial direction. In this embodiment, theretaining pin 94 does not radially contract and expand, but instead iscapable of lateral flexing or bending relative to its central axis 97such that the retaining pin 94 is no longer straight, for example, butis slightly curved (not shown). The retaining pin 94 may be formed frommaterials including stainless steel, titanium alloys, NiTi-typesuperelastic materials, or other suitable materials. Additionally,during assembly, the retaining pin 94 may be press fit or slip fit intobore 70, and/or may be secured thereto to prevent any relative movementtherebetween using various processes, including staking, tack welding,laser welding, adhesives, or other suitable methods.

As shown in FIG. 7, the retaining slot 96 is formed in the lingual side74 of the ligating slide 14 b and extends generally in thegingival-occlusal direction. As in the previous embodiments, theretaining slot 96 may extend completely through the ligating slide 14 bor be formed as a blind slot and therefore not be visible from thelabial side 76 of the ligating slide 14 b (e.g., similar to FIG. 4A). Inthis embodiment, the retaining slot 96 includes an offset portion 98 atthe gingival end 99 of the slot 96 in communication with a straightsegment portion 100 having a closed occlusal end 102. A centerline C₁ ofthe offset portion 98 is displaced in the mesial-distal direction(distal displacement shown in FIG. 7) relative to a centerline C₂ of thestraight segment portion 100 to form a protrusion 104 at the transitiontherebetween.

When the ligating slide 14 b is coupled to the bracket body 12, theretaining pin 94 is received in retaining slot 96, which moves relativeto the retaining pin 94 as the ligating slide 14 b is moved between theopened and closed positions. The retaining pin/retaining slot securingmechanism provides for securing the ligating slide 14 b in at least theclosed position. To this end, and as noted above, the retaining pin 94is capable of laterally flexing along its central axis 97. In otherwords, the retaining pin 94 has a first position (which may be anunbiased position wherein the retaining pin 94 is essentially straight)and is capable of being flexed out of the first position away from itscentral axis 97 so as to be slightly curved.

In operation, when the ligating slide 14 b is in the closed position,the retaining pin 94 is disposed in the offset portion 98 and in itsfirst position (e.g., relatively straight and unflexed). When sodisposed in the offset portion 98, the protrusion 104 and/or theretaining pin 94 provides a threshold level of resistance to anymovement of the ligating slide 14 b away from the closed position andtoward the opened position. If a sufficiently large opening force isapplied to the ligating slide 14 b in the gingival direction, however,the interaction between the retaining slot 96 and retaining pin 94causes the pin 94 to be flexed away from the first position and to thesecond position so that the retaining pin 94 moves past the protrusion104 and into the straight segment portion 100 of the retaining slot 96.

Once positioned in the straight segment portion 100, the retaining pin94 is biased to return to its unbiased (or less biased first position)and thus bears against the mesial side wall of the retaining slot 96such that a threshold sliding force, which may be less than, and perhapssignificantly less than the opening force, must be imposed to overcomethe drag and move the ligating slide 14 b relative to the bracket body12 as retaining pin 94 traverses straight segment portion 100. Thus,once opened, the ligating slide 14 b does not just freely slide or dropto the fully opened position, but must be purposefully moved to theopened position. If the ligating slide 14 b is only partially opened,the slide 14 b may be configured to maintain its position relative tothe bracket body 12 (due to the friction forces) until the thresholdsliding force is imposed to continue moving it toward the openedposition. When the ligating slide 14 b is moved toward the closedposition, the retaining pin 94 recovers or snaps back to its firstposition as the retaining pin 94 enters the offset portion 98 to onceagain secure the ligating slide 14 b in the closed position.

Although not shown in the drawings, but similar to that described abovein reference to FIGS. 4B and 5, in an alternative embodiment theretaining slot 96 may also be configured so as to provide a variablesliding force as the ligating slide 14 b moves between the opened andclosed positions. Moreover, the ligating slide 14 b may include anoffset portion at both the gingival and occlusal ends 99, 102 of theslot 96. In this way, the ligating slide 14 b may be sufficientlysecured in both the opened and closed positions in a similar manner tothat described above in reference to FIG. 5.

In addition to sufficiently securing the ligating slide 14 b in at leastthe closed position (and possibly in the opened and closed positions),the retaining pin/retaining slot configuration may also preventaccidental or unintentional detachment of the ligating slide 14 b fromthe bracket body 12 during use. To this end, the length of the retainingslot 96 may limit the gingival-occlusal travel of ligating slide 14 brelative to bracket body 12. For example, the retaining pin 94 may abutthe occlusal end 102 of the slot 96 when the ligating slide 14 b is inthe fully opened position. Because the occlusal end 102 of slot 96 isclosed, further movement of the ligating slide 14 b in the gingivaldirection relative to bracket body 12 is prohibited, and ligating slide14 b cannot become separated or detached from bracket body 12.

Similarly, in the fully closed position of the ligating slide 14 b, theretaining pin 94 may be positioned in the offset portion 98 at thegingival end 99 of the retaining slot 96, and further movement of theligating slide 14 b in the occlusal direction relative to the bracketbody 12 may be prohibited. The bracket 10 may include other featuresthat, in lieu of or in addition to, the retaining pin/retaining slotsecuring mechanism prevents movement of the ligating slide 14 b in theocclusal direction relative to the bracket body 12. Accordingly, thesecuring mechanism may operate for the dual function of securing theligating slide 14 b in the closed position (and possibly the openedposition as well) and for retaining the ligating slide 14 b with thebracket body 12.

FIGS. 8 and 9, in which like reference numerals refer to like featuresin FIGS. 1-4, illustrate another alternative securing mechanism thatsecures the ligating slide 14 in at least the closed position. In thisembodiment, the securing mechanism includes a spring bar 106 coupled tothe bracket body 12 and the retaining slot 68 formed in the ligatingslide 14, as shown in FIG. 4B. Although this embodiment is describedwith the spring bar 106 associated with the bracket body 12 and theretaining slot 68 associated with the ligating slide 14, those ofordinary skill in the art will recognize that the invention is not solimited. For example, although not shown, the spring bar 106 may becoupled to the ligating slide 14 and the retaining slot 68 formed in thebracket body 12.

The spring bar 106 includes a first portion (not shown) received withinthe bore 70 formed in support surface 40 and a second portion thatprojects therefrom in a generally labial direction. In this embodiment,the second portion of spring bar 106 is configured as a pair of springarms 110, 112 having opposed contacting end surfaces 114, 116 that arecapable of being flexed toward each other, such as by squeezing the endsurfaces 114, 116 toward each other. The spring bar 106 may be formedfrom materials including stainless steel, titanium alloys, NiTi-typesuperelastic materials, or other suitable materials. Additionally,during assembly, the spring bar 106 may be press fit or slip fit intobore 70, and/or may be secured thereto to prevent any relative movementtherebetween using various processes including staking, tack welding,laser welding, adhesives, or other suitable methods. As shown in FIG. 9,the spring bar 106 may be oriented within bore 70 so that the endsurfaces 114, 116 face in the mesial-distal direction so as to operatewith retaining slot 68, as is described in more detail below.

When the ligating slide 14 is coupled to the bracket body 12, the springbar 106 is received in retaining slot 68, which moves relative to thespring bar 106 as the ligating slide 14 is moved between the opened andclosed positions. The spring bar/retaining slot securing mechanismprovides for securing the ligating slide 14 in at least the closedposition. To this end, and as noted above, the spring arms 110, 112 ofspring bar 106 are capable of resiliently flexing so as to vary adimension between end surfaces 114, 116 (e.g., expanding andcontracting). In other words, the spring bar 106 defines a firstdimension (such as in an unbiased state) and is capable of being flexed,such as by squeezing the end surfaces 114, 116 together, to define asecond dimension less than the first dimension. Thus, the spring bar 106is capable of expanding and contracting in a dimension (e.g., themesial-distal dimension) depending on the bias being imposed thereon.

In operation, when the ligating slide 14 is in the closed position, thespring bar 106 is disposed in the enlarged portion 78 of retaining slot68 and is permitted to expand such that the end surfaces 114, 116 ofspring arms 110, 112 engage the wall of enlarged portion 78. Those ofordinary skill in the art will recognize that the end surfaces 114, 116do not have to engage the wall of enlarged portion 78, but must at leasthave a dimension that is larger than the cross dimension of the straightsegment portion 80. When so disposed in the enlarged portion 78, theprotrusions 88 provide a threshold level of resistance to movement ofthe ligating slide 14 away from the closed position and toward theopened position. However, if a sufficiently large opening force isapplied to the ligating slide 14 in, for example, the gingivaldirection, the interaction between the retaining slot 68 and spring bar106 causes the dimension between the end surfaces 114, 116 to decreaseor contract (due to the squeezing imposed by contact with the slot 68 atprotrusions 88) so that the spring bar 106 moves past the protrusions 88and into the straight segment portion 80 of the retaining slot 68.

Once positioned in the straight segment portion 80, the end surfaces114, 116 bear against the walls thereof such that a threshold slidingforce, which is less than, and perhaps significantly less than theopening force, must be imposed to overcome the drag and move theligating slide 14 relative to the bracket body 12 as spring bar 106traverses straight segment portion 80. Thus, once opened, the ligatingslide 14 does not just freely slide or drop to the fully openedposition, but must be purposefully moved toward the opened position. Ifthe ligating slide 14 is only partially opened, the slide 14 may beconfigured to maintain its position relative to the bracket body 12 (dueto the friction forces) until the threshold sliding force is imposed tocontinue moving it toward the opened position. When the ligating slide14 is moved toward the closed position, the end surfaces 114, 116 ofspring bar 106 recover or snap back to their expanded dimension as thespring bar 106 enters the enlarged portion 78 to once again secure theligating slide 14 in the closed position.

In alternative embodiments, the retaining slot 68 may be configured soas to provide a variable sliding force as the ligating slide 14 movesbetween the opened and closed positions. Moreover, the ligating slide 14may provide an enlarged portion at both the gingival and occlusal endsthereof. In this way, the ligating slide 14 may be secured in both theopened and closed positions in a similar manner to that described above.

In addition to sufficiently securing the ligating slide 14 in at leastthe closed position (and possibly in the opened and closed positions),the spring bar/retaining slot securing mechanism may also preventaccidental or unintentional detachment of the ligating slide 14 from thebracket body 12 during use. To this end, the length of retaining slot 68may limit the gingival-occlusal travel of the ligating slide 14 relativeto the bracket body 12. For example, the spring bar 106 may abut theocclusal end 82 of the slot 68 when the ligating slide 14 is in thefully opened position. Because the slot 68 is closed at the occlusal end82, further movement of the ligating slide 14 in a gingival directionrelative to bracket body 12 is prohibited, and ligating slide 14 cannotbecome separated or detached from bracket body 12.

Similarly, in the fully closed position of the ligating slide 14, thespring bar 106 may be positioned in the circular portion 78 at thegingival end 79 of the retaining slot 68, and further movement of theligating slide 14 in the occlusal direction relative to the bracket body12 may be prohibited. The bracket 10 may include other features that, inlieu of or in addition to, the spring bar/retaining slot securingmechanism prevents movement of the ligating slide 14 in the occlusaldirection relative to the bracket body 12. Accordingly, the securingmechanism may operate for the dual function of securing the ligatingslide 14 in the closed position (and possibly the opened position aswell) and for retaining the ligating slide 14 with the bracket body 12.

Because self-ligating brackets allow the movable member (e.g., slide,latch, spring clip, etc.) to move independently of the bracket body toachieve proper operation of the bracket, many conventional self-ligatingbrackets provide one mechanism to secure or lock the movable member inthe closed position and thereby retain the archwire in the archwireslot, and further provide a second mechanism, typically separate fromand different than the first mechanism, to prevent the movable memberfrom disengaging from the bracket body. While utilizing separatemechanisms to perform these aspects results in orthodontic brackets thatoperate for their intended purpose, it is desirable to have a single,compact mechanism that performs both a locking function (i.e., maintainsthe movable member in at least the closed position) and prevents themovable member from disengaging from the bracket body. Such a design mayprovide certain benefits not heretofore found using currentself-ligating brackets. For example, one benefit from such a compact,dual-function design may be that the overall size of the orthodonticbracket is reduced. This in turn improves the appearance of theorthodontia by reducing the “metal mouth” appearance in a patient.Additionally, the number of parts and/or assembly steps may be reducedwith such a design, which may reduce the overall manufacturing costs ofthe bracket. As described above, certain embodiments encompassed hereininclude a dual-function mechanism that may provide the benefitsdescribed above.

In addition to the various securing mechanisms described above,orthodontic bracket 10 may include several other features that providebenefits to the design of the bracket and/or to the implementation ofthe bracket during orthodontic treatment. By way of example, duringorthodontic treatment, such as during initial installation or change-outof the archwire, it is not uncommon for the archwire to slightlyprotrude from the archwire slot of the brackets. Thus, in order to closethe ligating slide on the brackets, the orthodontist has to push thearchwire into the archwire slot, such as with a separate tool using onehand, and then close the movable member using the other hand. Such aprocess may become burdensome or cumbersome, especially when repeatedfor all the brackets in the oral cavity.

To address such a scenario, and as shown in FIG. 4B, in one embodiment,the ligating slide 14 may include a pushing element for guiding thearchwire into the archwire slot. In this regard, ligating slide 14 mayinclude a chamfer 117 formed on lingual side 74 of the ligating slide 14and adjacent the occlusal edge 118 (e.g., leading edge). The chamfer 117is configured to guide or push the archwire 18 into the archwire slot 16as the ligating slide 14 is moved toward the closed position. In thisway, for example, the process of closing the ligating slide 14 alsopositions (e.g., pushes) the archwire 18 within the archwire slot 16.Thus, a single operation (e.g., closing the ligating slide) accomplishesboth tasks and simplifies the procedure for the orthodontist.

The chamfer 117 may be uniform and extend across the full extent of theocclusal edge 118 of the ligating slide 14, such as shown in FIG. 4B.However, in alternative embodiments, the chamfer may be non-uniformlyformed along at least a portion of the occlusal edge 118. By way ofexample, as shown in FIG. 10, a chamfer 117 a may include mesial anddistal portions 117 b, 117 c, respectively, having a first chamferconfiguration, and a central portion 117 d having a second chamferconfiguration, which may be different than the first chamferconfiguration. Those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize thatthe chamfer configurations (which include very small chamfers or even nochamfer at all) on the mesial, distal, and central portions 117 b-117 dmay each be different from the other depending on the specificapplication. Furthermore, although pushing of the archwire 18 into thearchwire slot 16 may be achieved via a chamfer, as shown in the figures,other pushing elements are possible. For example, the occlusal edge 118of the ligating slide 14 may include a rounded or radiused portion (notshown) to guide the archwire 18 into the archwire slot 16 as theligating slide 14 is moved to the closed position.

Another feature which may improve the manufacturing aspects oforthodontic bracket 10 includes a matching feature between the ligatingslide 14 and the bracket body 12. As best illustrated in FIG. 3, theligating slide 14 engages the bracket body 12 with a particular angle.As shown in FIG. 15 (in reference to a molar bracket), this angle may bequantified using the base surface 34 of the archwire slot 16 and thesupport surface 40 that defines at least in part the slide engagementtrack 46. Depending on where the orthodontic bracket 10 is located inthe oral cavity, this angle may vary. By way of example, in oneembodiment, this angle may be anywhere from approximately two degrees toapproximately ten degrees for anterior teeth orthodontic brackets. Asthe bracket body 12 and ligating slide 14 are typically made in separatemanufacturing processes, it is desirable to ensure that a bracket body12 having a particular angled design matches with a ligating slide 14having the same angled design (e.g., a two degree bracket is matchedwith a two degree ligating slide).

To this end, and in one embodiment, the lingual surface 74 of theligating slide 14 may include one or more ribs 119 a extending, forexample, in a occlusal-gingival direction (FIGS. 4B and 5).Additionally, the support surface 40 of the bracket body 12 may includea corresponding number of grooves 119 b formed therein configured toreceive the ribs 119 a when the ligating slide 14 is engaged with thebracket body 12 (FIG. 3). The number of ribs 119 a and location of theribs on the ligating slide 14 (and thus the location of grooves 119 b onthe bracket body 12) may vary for the different angles. In this way,only a ligating slide having the same angled design as the bracket bodycan mate with the bracket body during assembly. Thus, for example, atwo-degree ligating slide will be matched with a two-degree bracket bodyand the problems associated with mismatched ligating slides and bracketbodies may be avoided. Those of ordinary skill in the art may recognizeother matching systems to ensure that the proper ligating slidecorresponds to a particular bracket body.

Another aspect or feature which may enhance the functionality and use oforthodontic bracket 10 includes indicia for indicating the amount oftorque provided by the bracket. In conventional orthodontic treatment,the amount of torque applied to the tooth by the archwire is controlledby the configuration of the bracket body 12. In particular, the torquemay be controlled by manipulating the angle between the lingual side 20of the bracket (or the pad 32) and the base surface 34 of the archwireslot 16. Brackets may be provided to orthodontists in various delineatedcategories. For example, brackets may be supplied to orthodontistshaving a: i) low torque; ii) standard torque; or iii) high torque. Theamount of torque depends on the specific treatment and is thus made bythe orthodontist on a case-by-case basis. In any event, current bracketsprovide no marking thereon to indicate which torque category the bracketbelongs. Thus, such a determination is typically made by a visualinspection of the bracket, which may be difficult and may lead to theincorrect or undesired bracket being used for treatment.

To address such a situation, and as best shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, theorthodontic bracket 10 may include indicia 120 that indicates the torquecategory of the bracket 10. For example, in one embodiment, the indiciamay include a plus sign (+) for a high torque bracket; a minus sign (−)for a low torque bracket; and no indicating mark for a standard torquebracket. While the plus and minus signs are discussed herein, theinvention is not so limited as any set of symbols (or the lack of asymbol) may be used to indicate to the orthodontist the torque categoryof the bracket. For example, letters may be used that are indicative ofthe torque category. The use of letters for indicating torque (H forhigh torque; L for low torque) is disclosed in commonly owned U.S.application Ser. No. 11/685,540 filed on Mar. 13, 2007, the disclosureof which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. In thisway, the orthodontist may easily determine the torque category and avoidthe costs and aggravation of replacing brackets due to incorrect torquedeterminations.

A further feature which may enhance the functionality and use oforthodontic bracket 10 includes a horizontal slot formed in the bracketbody 12. As shown in FIGS. 1-3, bracket body 12 may include a horizontalslot 122 generally aligned parallel to the archwire slot 16 andconfigured for receiving temporary attachment devices, such as, forexample, a removable hook (not shown). Heretofore, slots (typicallyvertical slots) have been provided in brackets to couple conventionalorthodontic devices, such as torquing springs, auxiliary archwires, andin general, more permanent type of devices, to the brackets. In oneembodiment, the horizontal slot 122 extends from the mesial side 26 tothe distal side 28 of the bracket body 12 to form one continuoushorizontal slot. In an alternative embodiment, however, a first slot maybe open to the mesial side 26 of the bracket body 12 and a second slotopen to the distal side 28 of the bracket body 12 without communicationtherebetween.

The horizontal slot 122 may provide additional advantages in regard totemporary anchoring devices. A recent trend in orthodontic treatment isto establish a fixed reference point within the oral cavity and use thereference point to apply forces to the teeth so as to effect treatmentthereof. In this regard, the fixed reference point may be established bya temporary anchoring device, which includes an anchor, such as a bonescrew, that is removably coupled to the mandibular and/or maxillary jaw,depending on which dental arch is being treated. The anchor fixes thelocation of the temporary anchoring device within the oral cavity. Thetemporary anchoring device is then coupled to other orthodontic devices,such as brackets, to move the teeth into a desired position and/ororientation. The connection between the temporary anchoring device andan orthodontic bracket, for example, is sometimes difficult and mayentail an ad hoc approach to achieve the connection. In an advantageousaspect, the horizontal slot 122 in the bracket body 12 provides aconvenient manner in which to couple the orthodontic bracket 10 to atemporary anchoring device. The use of a horizontal slot 122 in thebracket 10 to achieve such a connection with a temporary anchoringdevice has heretofore not been recognized or appreciated in the art.Such a connection, however, overcomes many of the problems and ad hocapproaches associated with using such temporary anchoring devices.

As noted above, it may be desirable to reduce the size of theorthodontic bracket to improve the aesthetic aspects of orthodontiatreatment. The improved securing mechanisms described above may allowthe bracket to have a reduced size. For example, in some embodiments thesize of the orthodontic bracket 10 in the gingival-occlusal directionmay be about 0.124 inches, whereas conventional brackets are typicallyabout 0.144 inches. Although reducing the size of the bracket isdesirable, it is preferable that this reduction be achieved withoutnegatively impacting other functional and desirable aspects oforthodontic brackets. By way of example, orthodontic brackets mayinclude tie wings, which typically extend from the occlusal and/orgingival sides of the bracket body 12, that facilitate coupling of thebracket to other adjacent orthodontic devices using ligatures, elasticbands, or other connecting members known in the art. Reducing the sizeof the bracket may potentially reduce the height or extent of the tiewing so that the ability to secure a ligature or other connecting memberto the tie wing becomes problematic.

Accordingly, in still a further aspect of orthodontic bracket 10, thefunctional aspects of the tie wings may be retained while achieving areduction in the size of the bracket, such as in the gingival-occlusaldirection. To this end, and as shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, in which likereference numerals refer to like features in FIGS. 1-4, the lingual side20 of the bracket body 12 includes a projecting portion 124 that couplesto a tooth (not shown) or pad 32, as shown in FIG. 11. The projectingportion 124 includes an occlusal surface 126, a gingival surface 128, amesial surface 130, a distal surface 132, and a lingual surface 134 thatcouples to pad 32, for example. The projecting portion 124 is configuredto allow effective use of tie wings 136, as shown in FIG. 12. In thisregard, the gingival-occlusal extent or height of the projecting portion124 may be varied in a mesial-distal direction to facilitate use of thetie wings 136.

As shown in FIG. 12, the projecting portion 124 has a mesial-distaldimension substantially equal to the mesial-distal dimension of a morelabial portion of the bracket body 12. For example, as shown in FIG. 12,the mesial side 26 of the bracket body 12, which includes mesial surface130 of the projecting portion 124, is generally smooth and continuous.Similarly, the distal side 28 of the bracket body 12, which includesdistal surface 132, is also generally smooth and continuous (FIG. 11).However, because the tie wings 136 are located along the occlusal andgingival sides 22, 24 of the bracket body 12 and generally extendtherefrom, there is a reduction in the gingival-occlusal dimension ofthe projecting portion 124 relative to the more labial portion of thebracket body 12 having tie wings 136, as shown in FIG. 11. Such areduction, indicated by R₁ in FIG. 12, is due to the nature of a tiewing based orthodontic bracket.

Moreover, typical tie wing brackets generally position the tie wingsadjacent the mesial and distal sides of the bracket body. Thus, inaccordance with one embodiment, the gingival-occlusal dimension of theprojecting portion 124 adjacent the mesial and distal surfaces 130, 132may be further reduced so as to effectively increase the working heightof the tie wings 136. This further reduction is indicated by R₂ in FIG.12. As shown in this figure, projecting portion 124 has agingival-occlusal dimension A intermediate the mesial and distalsurfaces 130, 132 and a gingival-occlusal dimension B adjacent themesial and distal surfaces 130, 132 that is less than the dimension A.The dimension A may be determined by design considerations such asstrength, rigidity, structural integrity, or other factors. As furtherillustrated in FIG. 12, however, the reduction to dimension B adjacentthe mesial and distal surfaces 130, 132 relative to the intermediatedimension A provides an effective increase in the working height W ofthe tie wings 136 thereby providing enhanced functionality thereof.

In one embodiment, for example, such an increase in the working height Wof the tie wings 136 (alternatively the further reduction of thegingival-occlusal height of the projecting portion 124) may be achievedby forming chamfers in the occlusal and gingival surfaces 126, 128. Inparticular, and as shown in FIG. 12, the occlusal surface 126 ofprojecting portion 124 may slope in a gingival direction from amesial-distal intermediate location to the mesial-distal surfaces 130,132 thereof to form chamfers 138. In a similar manner, the gingivalsurface 128 of projecting portion 124 may slope in an occlusal directionfrom a mesial-distal intermediate location to the mesial-distal surfaces130, 132 thereof to form chamfers 140. Those of ordinary skill in theart will recognize that the length, degree and other characteristics ofchamfers 138, 140 may vary (together or relative to each other)depending on the specific application. Those of ordinary skill in theart will further recognize other configurations that reduce thegingival-occlusal dimension relative to an intermediate dimension so asto increase the working height W of the tie wings 136.

In yet another aspect of orthodontic bracket 10, in various embodimentsutilizing the spring pin 66 as part of the securing mechanism, it may bedesirable to prevent relative rotation between the spring pin 66 and thebore 70 in bracket body 12. One reason for this may be, for example, toprevent the slit 72 in spring pin 66 from becoming aligned with theprotrusions 88 in retaining slot 68 which may diminish the ability ofthe spring pin 66 to expand and contract in the desired manner. Whilethis may be achieved using the various processes provided above (e.g.,staking, welding, adhesives, etc.), in another embodiment, and as bestillustrated in FIG. 12, rotation of the spring pin 66 relative to bore70 may be prevented by forming a flat 142 in the generally circular bore70. The spring pin 66 is inserted into the bore 70 such that the slit 72therein is aligned with the flat 142, as shown in FIG. 12. Consequently,attempts to rotate the spring pin 66 relative to the bore 70 results inthe edges that define slit 72 contacting the flat 142, thus preventingany relative rotation therebetween.

A further feature which may enhance the functionality and use oforthodontic bracket 10 includes a tool receptacle that cooperates with atool for moving the ligating slide 14 away from the closed position andtoward the opened position in an improved manner. With reference toFIGS. 2 and 13, the labial side 30 of bracket body 12 may include a toolreceptacle 144 defining an occlusal wall 146, a mesial wall 148, and adistal wall 150. The receptacle 144, however, is open along a gingivalend thereof so as to be accessible to at least a portion of ligatingslide 14. For example, the tool receptacle 144 may be open to theocclusal edge 118 of ligating slide 14. As shown in FIG. 13, the toolreceptacle 144 may be configured to receive the tip 154 of a tool 156that facilitates opening the ligating slide 14 in a manner describedbelow. While a wide range of screwdriver-type devices may be used toopen ligating slide 14, it is contemplated that a tool, such as thatdisclosed in commonly owned U.S. application Ser. No. 12/147,854, filedon Jun. 27, 2008, and titled “Self-Ligating Orthodontic Bracket, Toolsfor use with a Self-Ligating Orthodontic Bracket, and Methods for Usingsuch Tools,” the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference hereinin its entirety, may be used to open the ligating slide 14.

In operation, the tip 154 of the tool 156 is inserted into the toolreceptacle 144 and rotated in either the clockwise or counter clockwisedirection (clockwise shown in FIG. 13). As a result, a portion of thetip 154 bears against the occlusal wall 146 of the receptacle 144 andanother portion of the tip 154 bears against the occlusal edge 118 ofthe ligating slide 14. The torque applied to the tool 156, such as by auser, is sufficient to overcome the opening force imposed by thesecuring mechanisms, as described above, such that the ligating slide 14moves in the gingival direction relative to the bracket body 12 towardthe opened position. The tool 156 may continue moving the ligating slide14 until the tool 156 has been rotated about ninety degrees from itsoriginal position within receptacle 144.

In one aspect in accordance with this embodiment, the maximum length 158of the tip 154 of tool 156 should not exceed the length of travel of theligating slide 14 relative to the bracket body 12. Thus, in variousembodiments described above, the length 158 of tip 154 should not exceedthe length of the retaining slot 68 in the ligating slide 14, forexample. In this way, when the tool 156 has been rotated to its fullninety-degree position, for example, the spring pin 66 has not yetreached the occlusal end 82 of the retaining slot 68. Such aconfiguration avoids shearing, notching, or otherwise damaging thespring pin 66 by torquing tool 156 and potentially rendering theorthodontic bracket 10 inoperable.

While the embodiment described above illustrates the tool receptacle 144as being formed substantially within the bracket body 12, the inventionis not so limited. For example, the tool receptacle may be formedsubstantially within the ligating slide such that, for example, theocclusal end of the tool receptacle is open and a tool inserted thereinmay contact a gingival edge of the bracket body 12 (e.g., see FIG. 27).In another alternative embodiment, part of the tool receptacle may beformed in the bracket body and part of the tool receptacle may be formedin the ligating slide (not shown).

The tool receptacle 144 as described above and more fully described incommonly owned U.S. application Ser. No. 12/147,854, filed on Jun. 27,2008, and titled “Self-Ligating Orthodontic Bracket, Tools for use witha Self-Ligating Orthodontic Bracket, and Methods for Using such Tools,”may provide some advantages. For example, the orthodontic bracket 10including a tool receptacle 144 as described above, and methods of usingtool 156 for opening the ligating slide 14 may permit a decrease in theforce transmitted to the tooth of the patient. In particular, becausethe tool receptacle 144 results in contact of the opening tool 156 withboth the ligating slide 14 and the bracket body 12, forces that wouldotherwise be transmitted to the tooth of the patient may be transmittedto the bracket body 12. In essence, the forces applied to theorthodontic bracket 10 as a whole during the opening of the ligatingslide 14 effectively cancel each other out so that a negligible netforce is transmitted to the tooth of the patient. Such a balancing outof the forces applied during opening of the ligating slide 14 preventsor reduces the discomfort associated with the transmission of a force tothe tooth of the patient.

In another aspect of orthodontic bracket 10, and as best shown in FIG.11, the ligating slide 14 may be configured to “overshoot” the archwireslot 16, and in particular, overshoot slot surface 36. To this end, acutout 160 may be formed in the labial side 30 of the bracket body 12adjacent slot surface 36 that defines a ledge 162 which extends aboveslot surface 36 and which is configured to engage the lingual side 74 ofligating slide 14 when the ligating slide 14 is in the closed position.Providing such an overshoot eases the acceptable tolerances in thecoupling of the ligating slide 14 and bracket body 12 so as to cover thearchwire slot 16 when in the closed position (e.g., precise tolerancesare not required), but allows for the possibility that the occlusal edge118 of the slide 14 may not abut an occlusal wall 164 of the cutout 160.

The use of conventional self-ligating brackets on molar teeth havepresented some challenges to orthodontists and manufacturers oforthodontic brackets. For example, the size of conventionalself-ligating brackets may create occlusion problems between the bracketand the teeth on the opposing jaw. Another problem is that priorself-ligating brackets have ligating slides that engage the bracket bodyfrom below and travel along guides in the bracket body that aresubstantially parallel to the gingival-occlusal plane. Moreover, when inan opened position, the bottom edge of the ligating slide extends belowthe bracket body. Thus, if conventional self-ligating brackets wereattached to the molar teeth on the lower jaw, for example, the bottomedge of the ligating slide might contact gum tissue (gingiva) causingpatient discomfort. Furthermore, in such situations, because gingivalinterference with the ligating slide might be significant, the slidecould not be fully opened to accept an archwire, thus defeating anadvantage of self-ligating brackets.

A design for a self-ligating orthodontic bracket for molar teeth thataddresses many of these disadvantages has been proposed in commonlyassigned U.S. Pat. No. 7,267,545, the disclosure of which isincorporated by reference herein in its entirety. As more fullydisclosed therein, to avoid contact between the ligating slide and thegingiva as the slide is moved between the opened and closed position,the ligating slide may be angled with respect to the bracket body. Inthis regard, as the ligating slide is moved in the gingival directiontoward the opened position, the gingival edge of the ligating slidemoves in the labial direction and away from the gingiva. Furthermore, toavoid contact between the occlusal side of the bracket body and theteeth on the opposing jaw, the occlusal side of the bracket may becontoured or profiled such that as the teeth are brought together, thereis no interference between the bracket and the teeth on the opposingjaw.

However, during various orthodontic treatments, it may be desirable tocouple the molar bracket to adjacent orthodontic devices using ligaturewire, elastic bands, or other connecting members known in the art. Forexample, it may be desirable to couple the bracket on the first molar tothe bracket on the second molar so as to create a relatively stronganchor for effecting orthodontic treatment. Due to the space limitationsin the rear of the oral cavity, as well as the desire to avoid contactwith the gingiva and opposing teeth, tie wings are typically omittedfrom molar brackets. Accordingly, the bracket as a whole may be used tosecure the ligature, band, etc. thereto.

Securing ligatures or elastic bands to self-ligating molar brackets,however, have presented some drawbacks. In particular, such brackets maylack suitable attachment points for receiving the ligature or elasticband and for maintaining the ligature or band at a relatively fixedlocation relative to the bracket. This may particularly be the case, forexample, along the occlusal side of the molar bracket. As noted above,the occlusal side of molar self-ligating brackets may be contoured, suchas by being directed downwardly in a gingival direction (when carried onthe lower jaw, for example), to avoid contact with the teeth on theopposing jaw. While effective to avoid contact with the opposing teeth,such contouring may allow a ligature or band secured around the bracketto slide along the occlusal side of the bracket. Such movement of theligature or band may be undesirable and may diminish the effectivenessof the treatment.

Improvements to molar self-ligating brackets, such as the bracketsdisclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,267,545, are thus desirable for addressingsuch a shortcoming. As shown in FIGS. 14 and 15, a self-ligating molarbracket 210 has features similar to that shown in FIGS. 1-4 and thosefeatures have similar reference numbers but are preceded by the number2. In accordance with the disclosure of U.S. Pat. No. 7,267,545, and asclearly illustrated in these figures, the ligating slide 214 moves alonga slide engagement track 246 that is angled relative to the base surface234 of the archwire slot 216. In this regard, engagement track 246extends generally along a translation plane 246 a that is angledrelative to a base plane 234 a associated with the base surface 234. Inaddition, occlusal side 222 of the bracket body 212 may be generallycontoured by directing at least a portion of the occlusal side 222 in alabial-gingival direction (i.e., slopes downwardly in reference frame ofdrawing).

To improve the functionality and use of molar self-ligating bracket 210relative to the use of ligatures, elastic bands, etc., the occlusal side222 of the bracket body 212 may include a cutout 300 adjacent thelingual side 220 thereof. The cutout 300 defines a groove 302 configuredto receive a connecting member, such as a ligature or band 304,schematically shown in phantom in FIG. 15. The groove 302 is bounded inthe labial-lingual direction so as to prevent or reduce the likelihoodof movement of the ligature or band 304 relative to the bracket body 212during use. For example, the groove 302 may be V-shaped, U-shaped, orhave some other shape that facilitates the capture of a ligature or bandtherein. In one embodiment, as shown in FIG. 15, the groove 302 may bebounded in the labial direction by a sloped bounding surface 306 of theocclusal side 222, and may be bounded by the pad 232 in the lingualdirection. The bounding surface 306 may be angled so as to generallyface the tooth (i.e., has a surface normal that points toward the tooth)while the remainder of the occlusal side 222 generally faces away fromthe tooth (i.e., has a surface normal that points away from the tooth).Such a configuration maintains the ligature or band 304 in a relativelyfixed location relative to the bracket body 212 and, in particular,prevents the ligature or band 304 from sliding in a labial directionalong the occlusal side 222 of the bracket 210 and away from the toothduring use.

In addition to the improvement to the occlusal side 222, the orthodonticbracket 210 may incorporate other features as disclosed in the previousembodiments. By way of example, the bracket 210 may incorporate one ofthe securing mechanisms described above, the torque indicia, thehorizontal slot, the tool receptacle, the chamfer or radiused feature atthe occlusal end of the ligating slide, the matching system betweenligating slide and bracket body, and/or other features described morefully above. Thus, aspects described for orthodontic bracket 10 may alsoprovide benefits to molar brackets. Additionally, ligating slide 214 mayinclude other features more fully disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,267,545.By way of example, the lingual side 274 of ligating slide 214 may beangled adjacent the occlusal edge so that the archwire slot 216 moreclosely conforms to the cross-sectional shape of the archwire (nowshown). In this regard, in one embodiment, ligating slide 214 cooperateswith bracket body 212 to define a generally rectangular archwire slot216 when the ligating slide 214 is in the closed position.

Manufacturers of orthodontic brackets continually seek improvements tobracket designs that provide greater comfort and greater reliability.For example, many conventional orthodontic brackets include labialsurfaces that are irregular or discontinuous. In some situations, theseirregularities may cause discomfort to the patient as, for example, softoral tissue repeatedly engages the labial surface of the bracket. Thisdiscomfort or irritation may be particularly acute for rear portions ofthe oral cavity (e.g., brackets on the molar teeth) as oral tissue isgenerally tighter relative to more anterior portions of the oral cavity.Moreover, many conventional brackets include regular, generally planarexterior surfaces. During mastication, food or other material in theoral cavity impacts against these surfaces. These surfaces are arrangedsuch that, instead of deflecting the material away from the bracket, asubstantial portion of the mastication force is transferred to theorthodontic bracket. The increased forces transferred to the bracketincrease the chances of breaking the bracket or otherwise preventingproper operation thereof.

FIG. 16 illustrates an orthodontic bracket 410 designed to address theseand other shortcomings. The bracket 410 has features similar to thatshown in FIGS. 1-4 and those features have similar reference numeralsbut are preceded by the number 4. The bracket 410 as shown in thefigures is configured and described for an upper molar tooth. However,as discussed above, those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciatethat features of the bracket 410, as described below, may apply tobrackets on other teeth, in different orientations, and/or in differentareas of the oral cavity.

In one aspect in accordance with this embodiment, to increase patientcomfort, the labial side 430 of the orthodontic bracket 410 isconfigured to be relatively smooth and continuous. By way of example, asmooth and continuous feature to bracket 410 may be accomplished usinggenerally large radius of curvature surfaces and/or transitions betweenadjacent sides of the bracket 410. Such a configuration may be achievedprimarily by modifying the design of the ligating slide 414. The designof the bracket body 412, however, may also be modified to achieveimproved comfort. In one embodiment, the bracket body 412 generallyincludes a planar support surface 440 and a pair of opposed guides 442,444 that collectively define a T-shaped slide engagement track 446 forligating slide 414. Unlike the previous embodiments, however, the guides442, 444, do not overlie the labial surface 476 of ligating slide 414(e.g., contrast FIGS. 1 and 16, for example).

Instead, and as shown in FIGS. 17 and 19, the ligating slide 414 has anengagement portion 500 for engaging the bracket body 412 and an outercontoured portion 502 that forms a significant portion of the labialside 430 of the orthodontic bracket 410. The engagement portion 500 hasa T-shaped configuration defining a head 504 having a mesial-distalcross dimension that is slightly less than a mesial-distal crossdimension of the slide engagement track 446 in bracket body 412 so as tobe movable therein. Engagement portion 500 further includes a neck 506that has a mesial-distal cross dimension less than the mesial-distalcross dimension of head 504 and is slightly less than the mesial-distalspacing between the guides 442, 444 so as to be movable therein.

As best shown in FIG. 17, the contoured portion 502 has a mesial-distalcross dimension larger than that of neck 506 and which extendssubstantially from the mesial side 426 to the distal side 428 of bracketbody 412. A lingual side 508 of contoured portion 502 overlies theguides 442, 444 so that the guides 442, 444 are not visible as viewedfrom the labial side 430 of bracket 410 (FIG. 16). Contoured portion 502further includes labial side 476 that is generally smooth and contoured,which is in contrast to the irregular configuration of conventionalbrackets. In this regard, the labial side 476 may be generally arcuateand characterized by a relatively large radius of curvature. Forexample, the relatively large radius of curvature may be directed to themesial-distal curvature and/or the occlusal-gingival curvature.

In one embodiment, for example, the radius of curvature for asubstantial portion of labial side 476 in the mesial-distal directionmay have a single value from mesial side 426 to distal side 428 (e.g.,forms a portion of a circle). In this embodiment, the radius ofcurvature may range between approximately 0.125 inches and approximately0.375 inches. For example, the radius of curvature may be approximately0.200 inches. Those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that theradius of curvature in the mesial-distal direction may include aplurality of discrete values, with each value being relatively large,such as in the range provided above.

The radius of curvature in the gingival-occlusal direction may alsoinclude one or more values. As shown in FIG. 20, for example, in thegingival-occlusal direction, the labial side 476 may include generallyflat portion 520 (e.g., very large radius of curvature) adjacent thegingival edge 522 and a transition portion 524 having a radius ofcurvature of between approximately 0.020 inches and approximately 0.075inches. Those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that thegenerally flat portion (in view of FIG. 20) may alternatively be formedas a curved or arcuate surface having a radius of curvature as providedabove for the mesial-distal direction, for example.

Thus, the primary labial surface as well as the transitions (if any)from the mesial and distal sides 426, 428 and/or the occlusal andgingival side 422, 424 of the bracket 410 to the labial side 430 of thebracket 410 are not sharp or irregular, but are smooth and gradual. Sucha configuration eliminates or reduces the sources of discomfort to thepatient when oral tissue contacts the bracket 410, and furtherfacilitates movement of soft oral tissue over the bracket 410 resultingin an overall improvement to the comfort of the orthodontic bracket 410.

Brackets on the upper teeth, and especially brackets on the uppermolars, tend to have relatively large occlusal sides or faces due tohigh negative torque typically required by such brackets. Additionally,in conventional brackets, these large occlusal sides tend to be orientedso as to be substantially parallel to the occlusal plane of the teeth.Accordingly, the large occlusal sides and their typical orientationresult in increased imposed mastication forces that tend to reduce bondreliability between the bracket and the tooth. However, in a furtheraspect in accordance with this embodiment, the occlusal side 422 of theorthodontic bracket 410 may be contoured or profiled so as to reduce thelikelihood of bond failure.

In this regard, and as best illustrated in FIGS. 16 and 20, in oneembodiment, the occlusal side 530 of ligating slide 414 may include agenerally flat portion 532 (e.g., a very large radius of curvature)which transitions smoothly with the labial side 476 of the ligatingslide 414, such as at transition portion 524 described above. Incontrast to conventional brackets, the occlusal side 530 may be angledor sloped generally in the gingival direction and relative to theocclusal plane of the teeth (not shown). Additionally, the occlusal side422 of the bracket body 412 (e.g., the occlusal sides of guides 442,444) may also be sloped or contoured in the gingival direction so thatthe ligating slide 414 and bracket body 412 are relatively flush orsmooth along occlusal side 422 when the ligating slide 414 is in theclosed position.

Thus, when food or other material in the oral cavity contacts theocclusal side 422 of the orthodontic bracket 410, such as duringchewing, the food or material may be deflected in the labial direction.Consequently, the forces imposed on the bracket 410 are reduced and thereliability of the bond between the bracket 410 and the tooth isincreased. Although the occlusal side 530 of slide 414 has beendescribed as having generally flat portion 532, this portion may also becurved in one or both of the mesial-distal direction or thegingival-occlusal direction.

In addition to the improvements to the labial side 430 and occlusal side422 of the bracket 410 as discussed above, the orthodontic bracket 410may incorporate other features as disclosed in the previous embodiments.By way of example, the bracket 410 may incorporate one of the securingmechanisms described above, the torque indicia, the horizontal slot, thetool receptacle, the chamfer or radiused feature at the end of theligating slide, the matching system between ligating slide and bracketbody, and/or other features described more fully above.

For instance, as shown in FIGS. 18 and 19, the orthodontic bracket 410may include a securing mechanism including a spring pin 466 associatedwith bracket body 412 and a retaining slot 468 formed in the ligatingslide 414. Due to size constraints and other design considerations, theretaining slot 468 may be formed in the lingual side 508 of thecontoured portion 502 of ligating slide 414. Because the retaining slot468 extends into the engagement portion 500 (FIG. 19), the engagementportion 500 includes a U-shaped cutout 540 thereby allowing the springpin 466 to access the retaining slot 468.

In addition, to prevent the spring pin 466 from bending or flexinglongitudinally, or laterally (due to the increased distance between thesupport surface 440 and the retaining slot 468), the bracket body 412may include a boss or pin support 542 that extends labially from thesupport surface 440. The pin support 542 has a shape corresponding tocutout 540 and is received in the U-shaped cutout 540 as the ligatingslide 414 is moved between the opened and closed positions. The springpin 466 and retaining slot 468 operate in basically the same mannerdescribed above to secure the ligating slide 414 in at least the closedposition. Additionally, the spring pin 466 and retaining slot 468 mayprevent the ligating slide 414 from disengaging from the bracket body412, as described more fully above.

With reference to FIG. 21, the orthodontic bracket 10 shown in FIGS. 1-3may include another feature that improves the use and functionality ofthe bracket. As discussed earlier, bracket 10 includes ahorizontally-oriented slot 122 (e.g., directed generally in themesial-distal direction) for securing various orthodontic devices. Insome applications, it may be desirable to provide additional attachmentpoints to the bracket or attachment points in different orientations.Thus, in addition to the horizontal slot 122, or instead of slot 122,the orthodontic bracket 10 may include a vertical slot 600 (e.g.,directed generally in the gingival-occlusal direction). The verticalslot 600 may be configured, for example, to receive a variety oftemporary attachment devices, such as, for example, removable hook 602,as illustrated in FIG. 21. Those of ordinary skill in the art willrecognize other permanent or temporary orthodontic devices that may beused with vertical slot 600 to effectuate orthodontic treatment.

Horizontal and vertical slots 122, 600 may be configured so as not tointerfere with each other when both are utilized on orthodontic bracket10. Thus, while the horizontal slot 122 may be disposed adjacent tiewings 136, in one embodiment, the vertical slot 600 may be disposed inprojecting portion 124. More particularly, projecting portion 124includes a generally gingival-occlusal directed passage 604 having afirst opening (not shown) in the occlusal side 126 of projecting portion124 and a second opening 606 in the gingival side 128 of projectingportion 124. Furthermore, while the passage 604 may be embeddedcompletely in the material of projecting portion 124, in the exemplaryembodiment shown, vertical slot 600 may be disposed adjacent the lingualside 20 of the bracket body 12 such that passage 604 is at leastpartially defined or bounded by pad 32. Those of ordinary skill in theart will appreciate that vertical slot 600 may instead be disposed inother portions of the bracket body 12 and/or not necessarily be definedby any portion of the pad 32. Furthermore, those of ordinary skill inthe art will appreciate that additional slots may be formed inorthodontic bracket 10. For example, additional vertical slots (notshown) may be formed in projecting portion 124.

Orthodontic treatment of teeth may be enhanced by properly locating thebrackets on the surface of the teeth. For example, properly locating thebrackets on the teeth in the gingival-occlusal direction is desirable.This may be done, for example, by using a fixed reference point on thetooth and basing various measurements to ensure proper positioning of abracket from this fixed reference point. In some techniques, forexample, the occlusal edge of the tooth is used as the fixed referencepoint. Conventionally, a tool is used to position the brackets on theteeth relative to the fixed reference point. The tool is typically aseparate component supplied to the orthodontist independent of theorthodontic brackets. Thus, the orthodontist must, in some fashion, andin the office environment, couple the bracket to the tool so as toproperly position the bracket on the surface of the tooth. This type offield assembly process can be difficult, frustrating, tedious, and timeconsuming.

Another aspect in accordance with embodiments of the invention addressessuch shortcomings in convention methodologies. With reference to FIGS.22 and 23, in which like reference numerals refer to like features inFIGS. 1-3, an orthodontic assembly 650 includes an alignment device 652coupled to a self-ligating orthodontic bracket 10 to facilitatedeployment and installation thereof onto a tooth 654. The assembly 650may, for example, be pre-packaged and provided to the orthodontist in acoupled or assembled condition (as shown). Thus, an orthodontist nolonger has to perform the field assembly of the bracket to a tool thatfacilitates proper positioning of the bracket on the tooth. In addition,the alignment device 652 may be designed so as to be disposable.Accordingly, after the bracket 10 has been properly positioned on thetooth, the alignment device 652 may be separated from the bracket 10 andsimply discarded. In this regard, it is contemplated that the alignmentdevice 652 may be formed in a cost-effective manner that makes itsdisposal feasible.

Referring to FIG. 23, alignment device 652 includes an elongate handleportion 656 and a bracket coupling portion 658 offset from and extendingfrom the handle portion 656. Handle portion 656 facilitates deploymentof the bracket 10 onto a tooth 654 by providing a gripping portion thatan orthodontist may utilize to grasp the assembly 650 and deploy thebracket 10 into a patient's mouth and onto tooth 654. Additionally,handle portion 656 facilitates positioning of the bracket 10 in theocclusal-gingival direction relative to tooth 654. More particularly,handle portion 656 includes one or more marking elements, for example,in the form of ribs 660, which allow the user to precisely place thebracket 10 in a desired occlusal-gingival position on the tooth 654. Theexemplary ribs 660 are spaced from one another by predetermineddistances (e.g., 1 mm) and each is also spaced from a central axis 662of the archwire slot 16 by a predetermined distance. Accordingly, a usermay, for example, place the bracket 10 in an occlusal-gingival positionsuch that one of the ribs 660 is in alignment with the occlusal edge 664of tooth 654. This positioning, in turn, gives the user certainty as tothe occlusal-gingival position of the bracket 10 relative to the tooth654.

With particular reference to FIG. 22, the design of handle portion 656and, more particularly, the position thereof relative to bracketcoupling portion 658, facilitates the positioning described above. Morespecifically, the handle portion 656 is designed such that, when bracketcoupling portion 658 is coupled to a bracket 10 having a bonding surfaceand the bonding surface engages the surface of the tooth 654, handleportion 656 also lies adjacent the surface of tooth 654. For example,the offset relationship between the handle portion 656 and bracketcoupling portion 658 facilitates positioning of handle portion 656adjacent tooth 654 during use. This configuration allows the user tomore precisely ascertain the position of the ribs 660 relative to thetooth 654. In this regard, the design of handle portion 656 facilitatesthe reduction or prevention of parallax errors during deployment oforthodontic bracket 10 onto tooth 654, especially, for example, in therear of the oral cavity.

With continued reference to the exemplary embodiment of FIGS. 22 and 23,the alignment device 652 may be configured for secured coupling with thebracket 10. For example, the alignment device 652 may be configured toprevent or reduce relative movement between the bracket 10 and alignmentdevice 652 in the mesial-distal direction. In this regard, the alignmentdevice 652 may include a first coupling feature that cooperates with asecond coupling feature on the bracket 10 to prevent relative movementin the mesial-distal direction. In one embodiment, the first couplingfeature may include a tab 666 and the second coupling feature mayinclude a recess, such as, for example, the tool receptacle 144 (FIG.21). When the alignment device 652 is coupled to orthodontic bracket 10,the tab 666 fits tightly within the tool receptacle 144 of the bracket10. Accordingly, the mesial and distal walls 148, 150 of tool receptacle144 may abut exposed surfaces of tab 666 to limit or restrictmesial-distal movement of the alignment device 652 relative toorthodontic bracket 10. This type of coupling permits deployment of thebracket 10 onto the tooth 654 without a concern for mesial-distalshifting of the alignment device 652 and bracket 10 relative to oneanother. Moreover, the coupling of tab 666 of the alignment device 652with tool receptacle 144 permits coupling of device 652 with bracket 10in only one orientation and position, which may be desirable, forexample, during assembly of orthodontic assembly 650.

The alignment device 652 may be further configured to prevent or reducerelative movement between the bracket 10 and alignment device 652 in thegingival-occlusal direction. In this regard, the bracket couplingportion 658 includes a leg 668 that extends for at least a portion ofthe length of the archwire slot 16 and fits tightly therein tofacilitate frictional engagement of bracket 10 with alignment device652. Leg 668 includes an occlusal surface 670 that abuts slot surface 36of archwire slot 16, and a gingival surface 672 that abuts the opposedslot surface 38 of archwire slot 16. Additionally, the gingival andocclusal surfaces 670, 672 may include ribs 674 for enhancing thefrictional engagement of these surfaces with slot surfaces 36, 38respectively, of archwire slot 16. The interaction between the leg 668and archwire slot 16 limits or restricts gingival-occlusal movement ofthe alignment device 652 relative to orthodontic bracket 10. Thus, thebracket 10 may be deployed on the tooth 654 without a concern forgingival-occlusal shifting of the alignment device 652 and bracket 10relative to one another.

In one embodiment, the alignment device 652 may be formed from asuitable plastic material and through, for example, a molding process.In one embodiment, the alignment device may be molded from polymers,including, for example, polypropylene. Those of ordinary skill in theart will recognize other suitable materials for forming alignment device652, as well as other suitable processes for forming the alignmentdevice 652. The material may be selected such that at least leg 668 issomewhat deformable or compressible. In this way, for example, leg 668may be slightly deformed or compressed when in archwire slot 16 tofacilitate the coupling between alignment device 652 and bracket 10.Additionally, in one embodiment, the alignment device 652 may havevisual features that permit a user or manufacturer to identify a uniquetype of bracket 10 to which device 652 may be coupled. For example, andwithout limitation, either portions or the entirety of alignment device652 may have a color that corresponds to a specific type of bracket 10.Alternatively, the alignment device 652 may include indicia (e.g.,alphanumeric, symbolic, etc.) that match indicia on the orthodonticbracket 10.

In the various embodiments including spring pin 66 as part of thesecuring mechanism described above, the spring pin 66 was orientedgenerally perpendicular to the archwire slot 16. Thus, for example, thespring pin 66 generally projected in the labial-lingual direction.Aspects of the invention are not so limited as other orientations ofspring pin 66 are possible. For example, the spring pin 66 may beoriented in a direction that is generally parallel to the archwire slot16. FIGS. 24 and 25, in which features similar to that shown in FIGS.1-4 have similar reference numerals but are preceded by the number 7,illustrate a self-ligating bracket 710 having a spring pin 766 orientedin a generally mesial-distal direction.

In this regard, orthodontic bracket 710 includes a bracket body 712including a pair of guides 742, 744 that overlie in spaced relation asupport surface 740 that defines a slide engagement track 746 forreceiving a ligating slide 714. Each of the guides 742, 744 includes abore 800, 802, respectively, that receives a portion of spring pin 766therein such that the spring pin 766 is generally parallel to thearchwire slot 716 and extends across the slide engagement track 746.While the embodiment shown in FIG. 24 shows the spring pin 766 extendinginto both guides 742, 744, it should be recognized that in alternativeembodiments, the spring pin 766 may extend from only one of the guides742, 744. At least one of the bores 800, 802 may be open at the mesialor distal sides 726, 728 for inserting the spring pin 766 within bores800, 802 during assembly.

As shown in FIG. 25, a retaining slot 804 may be formed in the lingualside 774 of the ligating slide 714 and extends generally in thegingival-occlusal direction. In one embodiment, the retaining slot 804also extends across the mesial-distal extent of the ligating slide 714.In alternative embodiments, however, the retaining slot 804 may extendfor a portion of the mesial-distal extent of ligating slide 714. Theretaining slot 804 is shaped in the gingival-occlusal direction so as tocooperate with spring pin 766 and secure the ligating slide 714 in atleast the closed position relative to bracket body 714. In this regard,retaining slot 804 includes a first arcuately shaped recess 806 adjacentthe gingival end 779, and a second arcuately shaped recess 808 adjacentthe occlusal end 782. Intermediate the first and second arcuately shapedrecesses 806, 808 is a raised ridge portion 810.

In operation, when the ligating slide 714 is in the closed position, thespring pin 766 (e.g., a lateral surface thereof) is disposed in thefirst arcuately shaped recess 806 of retaining slot 804 and is permittedto radially expand such that the spring pin 766 engages the wall ofrecess 806. Those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that thespring pin 766 does not have to engage the wall of first arcuatelyshaped recess 806, but must at least have a cross dimension whenradially expanded such that the spring pin 766 engages the ridge portion810 as the ligating slide 714 is moved toward the opened position. Whenso disposed in the first arcuately shaped recess 806, the raised ridge810 provides a threshold level of resistance to any movement of theligating slide 714 away from the closed position and toward the openedposition. However, if a sufficiently large opening force is applied toligating slide 714 in, for example, the gingival direction, theinteraction between the retaining slot 804 and spring pin 766 causes thepin 766 to radially contract (due to squeezing imposed by raised ridge810) so that spring pin 766 moves along raised ridge 810.

Once positioned on the raised ridge 810, the spring pin 766 bearsagainst a lingual surface thereof such that a threshold sliding force,which is less than, and perhaps significantly less than the openingforce, must be imposed to overcome the drag and move the ligating slide714 relative to the bracket body 712 as spring pin 766 traverses raisedridge 810. Thus, once opened, the ligating slide 714 does not justfreely slide or drop to the fully opened position, but must bepurposefully moved toward the opened position. If the ligating slide 714is only partially opened, the slide 714 may be configured to maintainits position relative to the bracket body 712 (due to the frictionforces) until the threshold sliding force is imposed to continue movingthe slide 714 toward the opened position. When the ligating slide 714 ismoved toward the closed position, the spring pin 766 recovers or snapsback to its radially expanded position as the spring pin 766 enters thefirst arcuately shaped recess 806 to once again secure the ligatingslide 714 in the closed position.

The amount of force required to overcome the threshold sliding force asthe spring pin 766 moves relative to the raised ridge portion 810 mayvary during movement between the opened and closed positions of ligatingslide 714. In one embodiment, for example, the raised ridge portion 810may have a height that slightly tapers so as to increase in thedirection of the occlusal end 782 of the retaining slot 804 (not shown).Accordingly, the sliding force required for relative movement betweenthe spring pin 766 and the retaining slot 804 of ligating slide 714decreases as the ligating slide 714 is moved toward the opened positionand increases as the ligating slide 714 is moved toward the closedposition. Those of ordinary skill in the art may recognize other ways tovary the sliding force of the ligating slide 714 as the slide is movedbetween the opened and closed positions.

Similar to FIG. 5, the embodiment shown in FIG. 25 includes secondarcuately shaped recess 808 adjacent the occlusal end 782. Thus, theligating slide 714 may be secured in the opened position so as torequire a sufficiently high closing force to initiate movement of theligating slide 714 away from the opened position and toward the closedposition. In this regard, when the ligating slide 714 is in the closedposition, the spring pin 766 is disposed in the first arcuately shapedrecess 806 and a sufficiently large opening force must be applied to theligating slide 714 in the gingival direction to contract spring pin 766and allow the pin 766 to move onto raised ridge portion 810. As theligating slide 714 is moved further toward the opened position, thespring pin 766 snaps back to its radially expanded position as thespring pin 766 enters second arcuately shaped recess 808 at the occlusalend 782 of the retaining slot 804. When so disposed therein, the raisedridge portion 810 provides a threshold level of resistance to anymovement of the ligating slide 714 away from the opened position andtoward the closed position. Only after a sufficiently large closingforce is applied to the ligating slide 714 in the occlusal direction,will the spring pin 766 radially contract so that the spring pin 766moves onto the raised ridge portion 810 of the retaining slot 804.

Another embodiment having the spring pin oriented so as to be generallyparallel to the archwire slot is shown in FIGS. 26 and 27, in whichfeatures similar to that shown in FIGS. 1-4 have similar referencenumerals but are preceded by the number 9. In this regard, orthodonticbracket 910 includes a bracket body 912 including a pair of guides 942,944 that overlie in spaced relation to a support surface 940 thatdefines a slide engagement track 946 for receiving a ligating slide 914.Each of the guides 942, 944 includes a bore 1002 (one shown) thatreceives a portion of spring pin 966 therein such that the spring pin966 is generally parallel to the archwire slot 916 and extends acrossthe slide engagement track 946. While the embodiment shown in FIG. 25shows the spring pin 966 extending into both guides 942, 944, it shouldbe recognized that in alternative embodiments, the spring pin 966 mayextend from only one of the guides 942, 944. At least one of the boresin guides 942, 944 may be open at the mesial or distal sides 926, 928for inserting the spring pin 966 therein during assembly.

As shown in FIG. 27, and similar to the ligating slide shown in FIGS.16-20, the ligating slide 914 includes an engagement portion 1004 forengaging bracket body 912 and an outer portion 1006 that forms a portionof the labial side 930 of the orthodontic bracket 910. The engagementportion 1004 has a T-shaped configuration defining a head 1008 having amesial-distal cross dimension that is slightly less than a mesial-distalcross dimension of the slide engagement track 946 in bracket body 912 soas to be movable therein. Engagement portion 1004 further includes aneck 1010 that has a mesial-distal cross dimension less than themesial-distal cross dimension of head 1008 and is slightly less than themesial-distal spacing between the guides 942, 944 so as to be movabletherein. Additionally, the outer portion 1006 has a Y-shapedconfiguration configured to cover a substantial portion of the archwireslot 916 in the mesial-distal direction as well as to define a toolreceptacle 1011 for receiving a tool and opening the ligating slide 914in accordance with that discussed above.

A retaining slot 1012 is formed in the ligating slide 914 and extendsgenerally in the gingival-occlusal direction. The retaining slot 1012may be positioned at least in the neck 1010 of engagement portion 1004and may be formed as a through slot, e.g., extending from the mesialside of the neck 1010 to the distal side of the neck 1010. Those ofordinary skill in the art will recognize that the retaining slot 1012may also be formed in the neck 1010 as a blind slot. The retaining slot1012 is shaped so as to cooperate with spring pin 966 and secure theligating slide 914 in at least the closed position relative to bracketbody 912. In this regard, retaining slot 1012 includes a first enlargedportion 1014 adjacent the gingival end 1016 of retaining slot 1012 incommunication with a straight segment portion 1018 similar to that shownin FIG. 4B. The retaining slot 1012 may further include a secondenlarged portion 1020 adjacent an occlusal end 1022, similar to thatshown in FIG. 5.

In operation, when the ligating slide 914 is in the closed position, thespring pin 966 (e.g., a lateral surface thereof) is disposed in thefirst enlarged portion 1014 of retaining slot 1012 and is permitted toradially expand such that the spring pin 966 engages the wall ofenlarged portion 1014. Those of ordinary skill in the art will recognizethat the spring pin 966 does not have to engage the wall of firstenlarged portion 1014, but must at least have a cross dimension whenradially expanded that is larger than the cross dimension of thestraight segment portion 1018. When so disposed in the first enlargedportion 1014, the protrusions at the transition between the firstenlarged portion 1014 and straight segment portion 1018 provide athreshold level of resistance to any movement of the ligating slide 914away from the closed position and toward the opened position. However,if a sufficiently large opening force is applied to ligating slide 914in, for example, the gingival direction, the interaction between theretaining slot 1012 and spring pin 966 causes the pin 966 to radiallycontract (due to squeezing imposed by the slot) so that spring pin 966moves past the protrusions and into the straight segment portion 1018.

Once positioned in the straight segment portion 1018, the spring pin 966bears against the walls thereof such that a threshold sliding force,which is less than, and perhaps significantly less than the openingforce, must be imposed to overcome the drag and move the ligating slide914 relative to the bracket body 912 as spring pin 966 traversesstraight segment portion 1018. Thus, once opened, the ligating slide 914does not just freely slide or drop to the fully opened position, butmust be purposefully moved toward the opened position. If the ligatingslide 914 is only partially opened, the slide 914 may be configured tomaintain its position relative to the bracket body 912 (due to thefriction forces) until the threshold sliding force is imposed tocontinue moving the slide 914 toward the opened position. When theligating slide 914 is moved toward the closed position, the spring pin966 recovers or snaps back to its radially expanded position as thespring pin 966 enters the enlarged portion 1014 to once again secure theligating slide 914 in the closed position.

The amount of force required to overcome the threshold sliding force asthe spring pin 966 moves relative to the straight segment portion 1018may vary during movement between the opened and closed positions ofligating slide 914, such as by varying the cross dimension of straightsegment portion 1018. Those of ordinary skill in the art may recognizeother ways to vary the sliding force of the ligating slide 914 as theslide is moved between the opened and closed positions.

Similar to FIG. 5, the embodiment shown in FIG. 27 includes secondenlarged portion 1020 adjacent the occlusal end 1022. Thus, the ligatingslide 914 may be secured in the opened position so as to require asufficiently high closing force to initiate movement of the ligatingslide 914 away from the opened position and toward the closed position.In this regard, when the ligating slide 914 is in the closed position,the spring pin 966 is disposed in the first enlarged portion 1012 and asufficiently large opening force must be applied to the ligating slide914 in the gingival direction to contract spring pin 966 and allow pin966 to move into straight segment portion 1018. As the ligating slide914 is moved further toward the opened position, the spring pin 966snaps back to its radially expanded position as the spring pin 966enters second enlarged portion 1020 at the occlusal end 1022 of theretaining slot 1012. When so disposed therein, the protrusions at thetransition between the second enlarged portion 1020 and straight segmentportion 1018 provide a threshold level of resistance to any movement ofthe ligating slide 914 away from the opened position and toward theclosed position. Only after a sufficiently large closing force isapplied to the ligating slide 914 in, for example, the occlusaldirection, will the spring pin 966 radially contract so that the springpin 966 moves into straight segment portion 1018 of the retaining slot1012.

While the present invention has been illustrated by a description ofvarious preferred embodiments and while these embodiments have beendescribed in some detail, it is not the intention of the inventors torestrict or in any way limit the scope of the appended claims to suchdetail. Additional advantages and modifications will readily appear tothose skilled in the art. The various features of the invention may beused alone or in any combinations depending on the needs and preferencesof the user.

1. An orthodontic bracket for coupling an archwire with a tooth,comprising: a bracket body configured to be mounted to the tooth, thebracket body including an archwire slot adapted to receive the archwiretherein; a movable member engaged with the bracket body and movablerelative thereto between an opened position in which the archwire isinsertable into the archwire slot, and a closed position in which themovable member retains the archwire in the archwire slot; and a securingmechanism configured to secure the movable member in at least the closedposition, the securing mechanism including a tubular pin in one of thebracket body and the movable member, and a receiving portion in theother of the bracket body and the movable member, wherein the pin iscapable of expanding and contracting in a generally radial directionrelative to a central axis thereof and the pin cooperates with thereceiving portion to secure the movable member in at least the closedposition; and wherein the pin includes a sidewall, an interior space,and a slit formed in the sidewall along at least a portion of the lengthof the pin that communicates with the interior space, the slitfacilitating the radial expansion and contraction of the pin.
 2. Theorthodontic bracket of claim 1, wherein the slit extends for the entirelength of the pin.
 3. The orthodontic bracket of claim 1, wherein thepin is associated with the bracket body and the receiving portion isassociated with the movable member.
 4. The orthodontic bracket of claim1, wherein the movable member is a ligating slide.
 5. The orthodonticbracket of claim 1, wherein the receiving portion includes a retainingslot adapted to receive the pin therein.
 6. The orthodontic bracket ofclaim 5, wherein the retaining slot comprises: a first enlarged portionat a first end thereof having a first cross dimension; and a straightsegment portion communicating with the first enlarged portion and havinga second cross dimension less than the first cross dimension to defineat least one protrusion at a transition therebetween.
 7. The orthodonticbracket of claim 6, further comprising: a second enlarged portion at asecond end of the retaining slot and communicating with the straightsegment portion, the second enlarged portion having a third crossdimension larger than the second cross dimension.
 8. The orthodonticbracket of claim 7, wherein the pin has a first shape and the secondenlarged portion has a second shape that generally corresponds to thefirst shape.
 9. The orthodontic bracket of claim 8, wherein the firstand second shapes are generally circular.
 10. The orthodontic bracket ofclaim 6, wherein the straight segment portion is tapered.
 11. Theorthodontic bracket of claim 6, wherein the pin has a first shape andthe first enlarged portion has a second shape that generally correspondsto the first shape.
 12. The orthodontic bracket of claim 11, wherein thefirst and second shapes are generally circular.
 13. The orthodonticbracket of claim 5, wherein the retaining slot includes a blind slot.14. The orthodontic bracket of claim 5, wherein the retaining slotcomprises: a first enlarged portion at an end thereof defining a firstcenterline; and a straight segment portion communicating with the firstenlarged portion and defining a second centerline that is in alignmentwith the first centerline.
 15. The orthodontic bracket of claim 1,wherein the movable member includes a pushing element adjacent an endthereof and configured to guide the archwire into the archwire slot asthe movable member is moved toward the closed position.
 16. Theorthodontic bracket of claim 15, wherein the pushing element includes achamfer formed on a leading edge of the movable member.
 17. Theorthodontic bracket of claim 16, wherein the chamfer is non-uniformlyformed on the movable member.
 18. The orthodontic bracket of claim 1,wherein the pin is substantially perpendicular to the archwire slot. 19.The orthodontic bracket of claim 1, wherein the pin is substantiallyparallel to the archwire slot.
 20. The orthodontic bracket of claim 1,wherein the securing mechanism is configured to prevent the movablemember from disengaging the bracket body.
 21. The orthodontic bracket ofclaim 20, wherein the receiving portion includes a retaining slot havinga first end, the pin engaging the first end of the retaining slot whenin the opened position to prevent the movable member from disengagingthe bracket body.
 22. An orthodontic bracket for coupling an archwirewith a tooth, comprising: a bracket body configured to be mounted to thetooth, the bracket body including an archwire slot adapted to receivethe archwire therein; a movable member engaged with the bracket body andmovable relative thereto between an opened position in which thearchwire is insertable into the archwire slot, and a closed position inwhich the movable member retains the archwire in the archwire slot; anda securing mechanism configured to secure the movable member in at leastthe closed position, the securing mechanism including a tubular pinsecured in one of the bracket body and the movable member, and furtherincluding a receiving portion in the other of the bracket body and themovable member, wherein at least a portion of the pin is capable ofmoving between an expanded state and a contracted state to therebydefine a radial expansion and contraction of the pin relative to acentral axis, the pin having a width defining a first cross dimension inthe expanded state and a second cross dimension less than the firstcross dimension in the contracted state, the pin cooperating with thereceiving portion to secure the movable member in at least the closedposition; wherein the pin includes a sidewall, an interior space, and aslit formed in the sidewall along at least a portion of the length ofthe pin that communicates with the interior space, the slit facilitatingthe radial expansion and contraction of the pin.
 23. An orthodonticbracket for coupling an archwire with a tooth, comprising: a bracketbody configured to be mounted to the tooth, the bracket body includingan archwire slot adapted to receive the archwire therein; a movablemember engaged with the bracket body and movable relative theretobetween an opened position in which the archwire is insertable into thearchwire slot, and a closed position in which the movable member retainsthe archwire in the archwire slot; and a securing mechanism configuredto secure the movable member in at least the closed position, thesecuring mechanism including a tubular pin extending from the bracketbody, and a receiving portion in the movable member, wherein the pinincludes a sidewall, an interior space, and a slit formed in thesidewall along at least a portion of the length of the pin thatcommunicates with the interior space, the slit facilitating the radialexpansion and contraction of the pin relative to a central axis therebycooperating with the receiving portion to secure the movable member inat least the closed position.